Holding Onto My Sanity
by Copper's Mama
Summary: Max and Alec, when they met at manticore, and just saying that they "copulated" wasn't good enough. please R&R! New chapters up!
1. Chapter 1

_..._

_A Max/Alec fic._

_..._

_Disclaimer: still don't own Dark Angel, but apparently I missed an episode in the second season when I watched it the first time, so I got to see an entirely new episode to me ... woo hoo! (it was the one where Max and Alec fight, and she cans him). _

_..._

_A/N: So, this is taken from the first episode in season 2, when Max and Alec are made breeding partners. Let's face it, Manticore would not just trust them all to "copulate", they would have them checked for signs of sexual activity ... so this is where this story takes off. _

_As always, please read and review, I live for feedback. _

...

Max barely had time to get back in her bed before her cell was opened and a male walked in.

_It couldn't be. He's ... _

"Ben?"

He gives her a strange look. "What?"

Max shook her head, knowing immediately that this is not Ben. "Sorry. You just look like someone I used to know."

"Well, my designation's 494."

"His was 493. You must be twinned," she told him.

"493 ... your fellow traitor. Went psycho," he nods, continuously checking out her room.

"What would you know about it?" she demands icily.

He fixes her with a heavy stare, and she has to stop herself before she squirms.

"I know that because of him I had to spend six months in psy-ops. They wanted to make sure it wasn't genetic. Looks like ten years in the world finally got to him."

Max replied, "It was this place that got to him." For some reason, she feels she needs to explain herself to this man. Her family. Make him understand that they weren't the bad ones. She had no idea why this was so important to her.

He shrugs. "Whatever. Well, let's get this over with, huh?"

She watches him remove his shirt, and her eyebrows immediately perk. _Look at his face, not his chest._

"What are you doing?" she asks, taking several steps away from him.

"We've been paired off," he explains. "I'm your breeding partner."

She looks at him, incredulous. "My what?"

_Wow, brains, not her strong suit. At least she's hot. _

"We're supposed to copulate ever night until you get pregnant," he explained more slowly.

"That's sick!" she exclaims.

He scoffs at her. "Well, it's your own fault. If you and your friends hadn't blown up the DNA database, they'd still be whipping up embryos and putting them into surrogates. Now take off your clothes, would you?"

"Get out of my cell," she tells him, ignoring the fact that his offer, while gross in principle, gave her a warm feeling in her stomach.

"We've got our orders."

He walks close to her, and she raises her foot to kick him back, but he grabs it and spins her around, pulling her back flush against his chest.

"What the hell was that?" he inquires, purring softly into his ear.

"The only kind of physical contact you and I are gonna have," she said, trying to make her voice sound strong.

He chuckles from behind her.

"Well, I kind of disagree with that," he said, the hand holding her left arm moving slowly up to her shoulder.

Holding back a hiss, she pulled away from him, and moved back against the far wall.

"No way am I having sex with you," she said matter-of-factly. "Simple as that."

"You want to spend a week in the hole, fine by me 452," he said, and tapped on the door.

"My name's Max."

He was about to leave when Max called out to him.

"You got a name?" she asked.

He smirked. "My designation's -"

"Yeah, I got that part, I mean an actual name."

He shook his head.

"I think I'll call you Alec," she said. "You know, as in Smart-Aleck."

"I can live with that," he said.

"Good, 'cause my second choice was Dick," she said, causing him to grin.

He's out the door and on his way back to his cell when he stops and turns around.

Peering into her room, he says, "See you around, Max."

...

"Tell me, 452, is it the specimen that you don't approve of, or the act of copulation itself that has you turned off?" Renfro wondered.

Max was silent.

"I see," the older woman replied. "If I'm not mistaken, your mating cycle is coming full circle next week, is it not?"

Max's eyes widened, but again, she kept her mouth shut.

"Well," the blonde taunted. "While the other girls are locked away in solitary next week, I think I'll leave you in your cell. Have 494 call on you then."

Max clenched her jaw and blinked a few times. She wanted to hit the bitch, but she remained where she was.

Renfro smiled. "Yes, I thought you might like that."

...

_End of chapter one. What do you think so far?_

_Reviews are wanted and apprectiated!_

_Until next time ... _


	2. Chapter 2

_..._

_A Max/Alec fic._

_Chapter Two._

_..._

_Disclaimer: still don't own own dark angel ... sigh._

_..._

_A/N: thanks for the reviews so far, definitely enticed me to post the next chapter quicker. _

_so, here's the next chapter, where Max goes into heat! (woohoo, those are my favorite episodes)._

_as always, please read and review, I live for feedback!_

...

Max twitched in her cell. She'd been stuck in here for a week, not allowed outside other than to use the bathroom, and they'd been giving her all of her meals in her cells.

At first she had been pissed of at Renfro. That stupid bitch was just playing games with her, making her "copulate" with someone who looked like her dead brother. Although Max had separated the two in her head the second _Alec_ had spoke, she still thought the blonde bimbo was disturbed.

But last night Max had dreamed a very sweet dream of the strapping young soldier she was to be paired off with. She knew that her heat had begun, she knew that what she would inevitibly do was wrong, but she couldn't help but feel a little excited for when Alec would finally come to her door.

It had already been almost 24 hours since she'd been in heat, and already she was going crazy. She had an itch, and dammit, she wanted it scratched!

Truth was, she'd been slightly excited about it ever since she'd tried to kick him in the gut, and he had spun her around and held her against his body. She'd felt the heat pooling in her stomach, the slight quickening of her heartbeat, and she knew he'd seen the blush in her cheeks. As much as she tried to tell herself this was all because of her cycle, she knew it wasn't true. She wanted Alec.

She tried to deny it, but it was true. And it wasn't like her and Logan were together. Aside from the fact that he probably thought she was dead, they hadn't actually declared themselves a couple. I mean, they had definitely started something that night that Zack came to tell her about Tinga, but it had been interrupted, and they hadn't talked about it that much since.

And now she was at Manticore, in heat, and a hot young - _oh my god, he's here!_

...

Max stood up as the door to her cell was open, and a smirking Alec walked in.

"So, a little birdie told me you requested my presence toni - you're in heat!" he changed topic mid-sentence as her scent hit him.

Females in heat were supposed to be separated from the men, to keep the breeding on track. X-5's tended to get a little violent when they were in heat, the men worse when they reacted to it.

"So?" she asked, walking over to him.

Before he knew it, she had his shirt off.

"Okay, this is a serious 180, even for someone in heat," he commented, shivering slightly as her fingers roamed over his toned body.

"Okay, just a second there, girly," he said, gripping her wrists in his hands.

She smiled. "You wanna be in control, soldier boy?"

"Okay, Maxie, you are making it very hard for me to concentrate," he said as her scent washed over him.

"What did you just say?"

"Sorry ... Max."

She shook her head. "I liked it," she said, and leaned forward to nibble on his ear.

"Maxie?" he whispered, working very hard to maintain some level of self-control.

She moaned and started sucking on his ear lobe.

_Oh man, she is gonna be pissed at me when she's over this ... oh well._

He turned his head and captured her mouth, making her gasp in surprise, but once he let go of her wrists to pull her closer to him, she started kissing him back, making a little purring sound in her throat.

He thought that was just adorable.

He walked her backwards until her back hit the wall on the other side of her room. It would have hurt a normal girl, but she was an X-5, and she just moaned in pleasure at the contact.

Breaking away from her long enough for both of them to remove their clothing, they came together once more, and he hoisted her up to his hips before pushing her against the wall again.

"Alec," she breathed as he kissed a trail down her neck, feeling his erection growing. "I want you."

He needed no further encouragement, and quickly slipped inside her, making both of them moan in not-so-quiet voices.

He paused for a moment, letting her adjust to him, but she started clawing at his back in desperation, so he began to move inside her.

Enjoying the heat from his body melding with hers, and the cool rock on her back, Max was content to let him take the reins for now.

They were only at it for a few minutes before Max had her first orgasm. As soon as the relief washed over her, she was sure that she would snap out of it, and beat the shit out of Alec for taking advantage of her.

But as he continued his thrusts, she found herself getting aroused again.

_Well, that's Manticore stamina for you,_ she thought as she ran a hand through his hair, enjoying the feel of it sliding through her fingers.

"Oh, Maxie," he said, catching her lips again.

When it came to sex, Max wasn't a huge fan of the kissing. It got in the way, it was much easier to just wrap yourself around the guy than it was to try to focus on two things at once, but as Alec's tongue worked his way into her mouth, it became second nature to her, as though they'd been doing this for years.

She could feel him reaching his climax, and she found herself rising with him.

She bit down on his lip, drawing blood, and she expected him to pull back, or yelp or something, but he just moved his head down to her neck and latched onto her, his mouth vibrating while he marked her as his, and with that thought they both came together.

Still sheathed inside her, he carried her over to the bed, setting her down and grabbing the blanket she'd tossed on the floor earlier when she'd been anticipating his arrival, then joining her on the bed, covering them both up.

She felt weird when he draped his arm across her, pulling her to his chest, but after a while she found herself growing fond of the steady beat of his heart against her back.

Neither was aware of the smug look on Renfro's face as she watched them through the hidden camera placed in all of the X-5 cells.

...

_End of chapter two. What did you think?_

_Reviews are appreciated!_


	3. Chapter 3

_..._

_A Max/Alec fic. _

_Chapter Three._

_..._

_Disclaimer: still don't own dark angel ... sigh. _

_..._

_A/N: thanks for the reviews so far, definitely enticed me to post the next chapter quicker. _

_okay, so here's the next chapter ... the morning after!_

_as always, please read and review, I live for feedback!_

...

Max woke up the next morning pleasantly numb. She hadn't slept this good in ... she couldn't even remember how long it had been. She remembered last night as thought it was a dream. And she honestly thought she'd been dreaming. Until she slowly drifted further into consciousness and felt a heavy arm across her hip.

_Oh, god, please tell me I didn't ... _

She blinked her eyes a few times, and turned her head.

There he was, in the flesh, and snoring. She turned over, and still he didn't stir.

She took a deep breath, calming herself, not letting her eyes trace over his perfect face, delightful chest, and ... other areas.

Memories of last night came rushing back harder, and as much as she had enjoyed it, she also felt sickened by it. And by the fact that Alec had let it all happen, knowing she was in heat.

_It's not entirely his fault ... that BITCH Renfro is SO going to pay for this! Just stay calm ... breathe, Max._

She remembered Alec calling her Maxie last night, and the shivers it had given her. The shivers it was still giving her.

She wished that she was allowed a watch, so she could know what time it was.

She sighed, leaning her head on the pillow, and finally Alec started to wake up.

She stared up at him, much like a deer caught in the headlights as he opened his eyes.

They kept the gaze for a few seconds before he spoke.

"Hey," he said.

Max had to get up out of the bed, taking the sheet with her, shutting her eyes immediately as she realized he was naked too. _Dammit! I'm still in heat! _

"Oh," he said, and quickly clothed himself. "Uh ... sorry?"

Max couldn't bring herself to open her eyes to look at him. She knew that if she did, she would hate him, and yell at him, and right now, she felt like she was the only one who deserved the blame, and didn't want to make herself feel better by taking it out on him.

"Um ... should we like ... talk?" he started slowly.

Max shook her head violently, turning to face the wall.

"Hey, are you okay? I didn't hurt you, did I?" he asked, honestly concerned. Which surprised even him.

"I'm fine," she said. "Just leave."

He wanted to say something to her, make sure she really was okay, but he could smell the regret on her, and just wanted to get out of her cell as soon as possible.

"Guard," he called, and was gone in less than a minute.

Max slid down to the floor in the corner, head bent to her knees, crying hard.

...

Alec had only been gone a few hours before Max got another visitor.

"So, 452, how did your night go?" Renfro asked her.

Max's eyes remained closed. She would not give this woman the satisfaction of being a good little soldier.

"Go to hell."

Renfro smiled. "All in good time, dear."

"And until that time, how about you get your ass out of my cell before I drop you on your ass?" Max threatened.

The evil blonde continued to smile. "If you were going to do that, you would have done it the second I walked in."

"Don't be so sure."

Renfro smiled wider. "You know what, 452, I like your spirit. And because I like you so much, I'm gonna do you a favor."

"And what's that?"

"I'm gonna bring your boyfriend in here again tonight," she said. "Since you two hit it off so well the other night."

...

Max's cell was plunged into darkness the second Renfro left.

Growling, Max jumped off her bed, slid underneath, took out her digging tool, and went to work cutting through the blocks of her cell.

She felt herself boiling over with anger, and had to stop a few times just to stew in her own fury.

_I'm going crazy in here, Cin, _she thought, making herself believe that her best friend could hear her. _I don't know how long I can hold onto my sanity ... whatever's left of it, anyway. I just want to get back ... to you and Sketchy and Jam Pony, and Logan and even all that Eyes Only crap. I wanna see Zack and Syl and Crit, and know that they got out okay. I just want out of here!_

With one final thrust, she cut through the block.

A light smile graced her face for the first time in hours, and she almost laughed in happiness at the thought of finally being out of here, when the lights in her cell flicked on, and she knew that Alec was being brought to her cell.

She forced away the warm feeling that gave her with anger at him for letting this happen.

...

_Okay, end of chapter three. _

_Short, I know, but I didn't want two sex chapters back-to-back._

_Anyways, as always please leave some comments!_


	4. Chapter 4

_..._

_A Max/Alec fic._

_Chapter Four._

_..._

_Disclaimer: still don't own dark angel ... sigh. _

_..._

_A/N: thanks for the reviews so far, keep up the feedback!_

_okie dokie, so here's the next chapter, where Alec pays Max another visit. I've noticed everyone is just loving the evil bitch Renfro, so I'm planning on working in a scene between her and Alec in this chapter._

_as always, please read and review, I live for feedback!_

...

Max moved to the corner of her cell, pulling her knees up to her chest as the door to her humble abode was opened, and Alec walked in.

She was surprised that he wasn't smirking this time, but didn't look at him long enough to bother figuring out why.

"Max?"

She dug her nails into her arms, keeping her eyes closed against her knees.

"Hey, are you okay?" he wondered, crouching next to her. "Should I call someone?"

He put his hand on her arm, and she hissed.

"Maxie?"

She whimpered, and he pushed a strand of hair away from her face as she raised her head and brought his lips to hers.

He hesitated for a second, but remembering the bliss he'd experienced last night, he quickly brushed away his reservations and started kissing her back.

...

Max was becoming more adjusted to the time, the longer she'd been there.

She didn't need a watch or a window to tell that Alec had come to her cell earlier in the evening than the two times before, and that morning was still hours away.

They lay curled together on the floor, blanket under them, sheet above them.

Max hadn't wanted to fall asleep in his arms again, so she had grabbed the blanket and laid down on the floor, but he had joined her, and she didn't have the strength to push him away.

He was asleep, she could tell by his breath on her neck, and the slowed beating of his heart against her back.

_I have to get out of here ... this place, it's changing me already, I can feel it. This thing that's happening with Alec ... it's not because of me being in heat. I mean, me jumping his bones is because I'm in heat, and Renfro is a sadistic bitch, but these ... feelings ... I have to get out of here. Back to a world that actually makes sense._

Max sighed and stretched her body, uncomfortable from lying on the floor.

_Well, this was pretty much a pointless idea._

"You know, we could go up on the bed," Alec suggested from behind her.

She froze. She hadn't even felt him wake up ... if he'd even been asleep.

"Um, okay," she said, blinking a few times, and then wrapping herself in the sheet and walking over to the bed.

Alec chuckled at her modesty, but wrapped the blanket around himself and joined her, wrapping his strong arms securely around her tiny frame, more pleased than he should be that she didn't protest.

...

"Report, 494," Renfro demanded.

"Successful copulation with Ma- 452 last night," Alec said.

"Very good," Renfro said, and eerily pleased smile on her face.

Alec stood, waiting to be told to leave, but instead Renfro fixed him with a stare.

"Are you aware, 494, that 452 is planning to escape our facility?"

Alec maintained a neutral expression. "I was not, Ma'am."

"I see," she said.

"What would you like me to do about that, Ma'am?" Alec wondered, hoping he wouldn't be told to punish Max."

Renfro smiled. "Nothing ... yet."

Alec stared at her. "Nothing?"

"We've injected 452 with a virus, harmful only to a certain individual that 452 knows on the outside world. We want her to escape, we want her to infect him, we want her to bring him to us for a cure. You will follow 452 once she escapes, and you will find this "Eyes Only" that has been giving Manticore so much grief. Do you understand your assignment?"

Alec pursed his lips, but nodded. "Yes, Ma'am."

...

It took her another three days, and a run-in with a dog-man named Joshua, but finally, Max was escaping. She had been surprised that Alec had been so willing to help her, but she guessed he was just feeling guilty for taking advantage of her.

Whatever ... she planned on putting this place, and her feelings for Alec behind her the second she was outside the fence.

Which, she was surprised again, to very little effort.

She had ran for 5 straight miles before she let herself relax. She'd done it, she was out. First things first, she had to see her friends. And Logan.

...

End of chapter four.

So, what did you think of this one?


	5. Chapter 5

_..._

_A Max/Alec fic._

_Chapter Five. _

_..._

_Disclaimer: still don't own dark angel ... sigh._

_..._

_A/N: Thanks for the reviews so far, keep 'em comin'!_

_Alrighty-roo, here's the next chapter (and oy I've been watching way too much Supernatural). _

_Anyways, in this chapter, Max sets off to find Logan, and Alec is torn between his feelings for Max and his loyalty to Manticore._

_As always, please read and review, I live for feedback!_

...

Alec followed from a respectable distance as Max made her way into Seattle.

She was in a hurry, he could tell, and he was actually glad they'd built the "new" Manticore only an hour outside of Seattle, otherwise he was sure she would have run the entire way, and over-exerted her "new" heart.

Alec was still conflicted. He had no idea what he was going to do once she got to her destination.

He didn't care one bit about whoever it was she was supposed to be infecting, but once she realized he had known about the plan and didn't do anything to stop it, she would never speak to him again, if she didn't _end_ him on the spot.

She made her way expertly through the city, and Alec had no more doubts about whether or not she lived in Seattle or not.

She finally came to a stop at a high-rise building, and seemed to be waiting for something, possibly contemplating whether she should go inside or not, and then she started moving again, and Alec made up his mind, fingering the vial in his pocket.

"Max, wait up," he called out, and watched as she jolted, then froze stiff.

He closed the distance between them, but remained behind her.

"You can't be here," she whispered.

"There's something -" he started, but she cut him off, turning towards him.

"That was back at Manticore," she said. "I won't go back there with you ... I can't. No matter what ... feelings there are, I just can't."

Alec sighed, definitely wanting to discuss that more later, but pushed on. "Not what I meant. I was saying that there's something you need to know before you go see this "Eyes-Only" guy."

Max stared up at him. "How do you know about him?"

He looked at her, but didn't answer.

"Look, all you need to know is that Manticore injected you with a virus specifically targeted for him, and if your skin, your dna, comes into contact with his, he'll die," he told her.

She didn't want to believe him, but a part of her knew that her escape had been too easy. Even when she was out from under their thumb, Manticore was still sucking the life out of her.

She stood there, silent, for minutes. Alec waited patiently for her to process everything, hoping more than he should be that she wouldn't be mad at him.

As far as he was concerned, he wasn't going back to Manticore, and definitely wanted to stay in Seattle for a while, if she would have him.

"Is there a cure?" she wondered.

He looked down at her sad eyes and nodded, pulling the vial and a needle out of his pocket.

"I grabbed this before I left," he explained, handing them to her. "It should take a few hours to fully work its way through your system."

Max nodded. She looked up at the building beside them.

"It's only targeted for him?"

Alec nodded.

Max ran a hand through her hair then said to Alec, "Would you come somewhere with me?"

Alec nodded a little too enthusiastically, glad that she hadn't knocked him on his ass for keeping this from her for as long as he did, and followed her.

They made their way through a couple of sector's, using their genetically altered abilities to avoid the sector police, and finally they were at a messenger service called "_Jam Pony"_.

Alec followed her inside, and he could tell that she was jittery.

He knew they must look like a spectacle to the people around them, both of them in obvious "army" clothing, but he figured there was more to the strange looks the people were throwing at Max in particular.

There were whispers of "oh my god, it's her!" or "she's alive?", and finally a loud shriek, and a short, dark woman was throwing herself into Max's arms.

"Thank God, you're okay!" she said to Max.

Max smiled lightly. "Well, thank Zack's heart," she said. "But yeah, I'm alright."

"When'd you get out?" the other woman wondered, still not letting go of Max.

"Just," Max replied.

"Who's the hottie?"

Max snorted at that, and let go of her best friend.

"Original Cindy, this is Alec, Alec, Original Cindy," she introduced.

OC sized him up and down and said, "So, he Manticore too?"

Max nodded.

"Figures. The only fine men I ever seen came from that lot," she said.

"Um ... thanks?" Alec said.

"Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in," came a voice from behind them.

Max turned to see Normal glaring at her. She felt more and more of herself coming back each passing minute, and smiled sarcastically at Normal.

"What can I say, the rumors of my death were greatly exaggerated," Max said, stepping away from the two beside her.

"Uh huh," Normal replied. "Well don't think you can just stroll back in here and take your job back, Missy Miss, we've got standards, so unless you have an exceptionally good reasoon for missing all that work, then you can just high-tail it back out of here."

Max cocked her head to the side. "I had a heart-transplant."

Normal laughed. "Well, I will say that is a new one."

Max rolled her eyes and lifted her top, baring her scar and ... other things, to Normal's bulging eyes.

"Well, that's a nice ... scar you got there."

"Yeah, well enjoy it while it lasts, it's fading fast," she replied. "This guy wants a job here," she said, pointing to Alec.

"I do?" he wondered. "Uh, I mean, yes, I do."

Normal sized him up then threw the clipboard with an application on it at him. "Fill that out in a minute and you're hired," he said. "Come on people, show's over, bip bip bip! Back to work!"

Alec put the clipboard back on the counter when he was done, and stood with his hands in his pockets, not really knowing what to do.  
Then the girl named Original Cindy came over with Max and ushered him out the door, telling Normal they were going for their lunch break.

Max and OC held hands the entire way back to their apartment, both apparently afraid that if they let go, they would lose the other again. Alec understood that better than he should.

They finally reached their apartment, and Max climbed onto her motorcycle, hugging it tightly. "Oh, baby, I missed you so much," she purred to it. "Mommy will never ever leave you again."

Alec smiled at that as OC made coffee.

Alec said, "Before we forget, we should really give you that shot."

Max's face grew serious, and she nodded, sitting sideways on her bike, and pulling the vial and needle out of her pocket and handing them to Alec.

"Never was big on needles," she said sheepishly.

He nodded and pulled out an alcohol swap, cleaning a spot on the flipside of her elbow.

"Whatcha doin' with that?" OC wondered, walking over to them. "What you givin' my girl?"

"It's okay, Cin, those Manticore blow-holes injected me with a virus specifically targeted for Logan's DNA, and this is the anti-virus."

Original Cindy nodded. "You go see your boy yet?"

Max saw Alec stiffen at that, and looked at OC. "You mean my _friend _Logan? No, I was on my way there, when Alec filled me in."

"So, what, he on the run too?" she wondered.

"He's right here," Alec stated.

"Mmhmm," OC said.

...

After much discussion, it was decided that Alec would stay with Max and Original Cindy until he got settled in a place of his own.

She didn't know what she was going to do about Logan. Whatever this thing was with Alec, it couldn't happen on the outside until she squared things away with Logan first. Which she was on her way to do ... wow, her life sucked.

...

_Okay, end of chapter Five. _

_What did you think of this one?_

_Reviews are enjoyed!_


	6. Chapter 6

_..._

_A Max/Alec fic._

_Chapter Six._

_..._

_Disclaimer: I still don't own dark angel ... sigh. _

_..._

_A/N: Thanks for the quick reviews last time guys, I love opening my email and seeing a bunch of messages from !_

_Alright, so in the last chapter, Max and Alec made it into the city, and Alec stopped her before she went into Logan's, and gave her the cure for her virus, and he is now an escapee from Manticore as well. Max got her job back, and Alec got hired at Jam Pony as well, and is living with Max and Original Cindy for the time being. _

_Now, for the next chapter, Max calls Logan, and they talk. Just to be clear, this is a Max/Alec pairing fic. So, there won't be a whole lot of Max/Logan romance, just to clarify. Alec meets Logan as well._

_Alrighty, enough of my babbling, and on with the story!_

_As always, please read and review, I live for feedback!_

...

Max, Alec and Original Cindy stayed up all night her first night back. It had also been Alec's first part-day at Jam Pony, and with Max and OC showing him the ropes, he fit in right away. They had stopped on their way back from "lunch" so he could buy some normal clothes, as Max had changed as soon as she could, and off they had gone to work, and then Crash to party.

She had been relieved that Logan hadn't been there, for starters she had no idea what she would say to him, and she didn't want to take any chances with this virus, wanted to give it a full twenty-four hours before seeing him.

Now it was 4 in the morning, Original Cindy was fast asleep on the couch, Alec laid out on the floor, snoring, and Max held the phone in her unsure hands.

She took a deep breath, sighing even more deeply as she exhaled, and dialed his number.

He answered after to rings.

"Logan Cale."

Max was silent for a second.

"Hello?" his voice asked again.

"It's me," she said quietly.

She could tell he had stopped breathing, but didn't say anything further.

"Max?"

"Yeah."

"You're alive."

She could hear the joyful shock in his voice.

"Yeah."

"Where are you?" he wanted to know.

"I'm home," she said.

"I'm on my way," he said.

"Wait, no!"

"What? What is it?" Logan asked her.

Max sighed. "Just ... just wait until tomorrow, okay? I'll come see you then, after lunch."

"Max, tell me you're okay."

"I'm fine. It's just been ..."

"A long time," he finished for her.

She remembered when she used to love when he did that. Now, it was only a painful reminder of her "old" life. Manticore had already changed her, she just hoped she could get herself back.

"Yeah."

She sighed, looking down at her feet, still not knowing what to say to him.

"I'll see you tomorrow then," she said.

"Okay. Max?"

"Yeah?"

He paused. "It's good to hear your voice."

Max pursed her lips for a second, then said, "Yeah, yours too. Bye."

She hung up the phone, putting it beside her on the floor.

"You okay?"

Again, she hadn't noticed Alec had woken up.

"I'm fine," she answered.

He got up and moved over to her, slowly putting his arm around her shoulder.

She stiffened for a moment, but then leaned into his embrace.

"Was he your, uh ... ?" Alec began, but Max shook her head.

"We danced around it for a year, but never actually took the "plunge"," Max told him, enjoying the steady thump-thump of his heart against her cheek. "We started something before I got brought back to Manticore, but now ..."

Alec looked down at her, annoyed that he was hopeful, but hopeful nonetheless. "Now what?"

She looked up at him with equally hopeful eyes. "Now ... things are different."

Alec smiled lightly and leaned his head down to hers, capturing her lips.

"Go get a room, would'ya?" came Original Cindy's sleepy voice from on the couch.

Max stood and Alec followed her into her room, but as soon as the door was closed, she stiffened up again.

Alec looked at her, and as though he read her mind, said, "We can just sleep."

Max gave him a small smile, and slipped under the covers of her very-much-missed bed.

...

Original Cindy woke them up three hours later, clanking pots together in the kitchen as she made them a breakfast of watered-down noodles and coffee.

Off they went to work, and Max was once again the subject of gossip and surprised looks.

Normal kept Max and Alec paired up, as he was still a "newbie", so Alec was with her as she went to take her lunch break.

"I can stay here if you want," he suggested, motioning towards OC and Sketchy.

Max thought it over for a few seconds, then said, "No, I want you to come ... if you don't mind?"

Alec nodded once, and they made their way to Logan's.

He had evidently been pacing the room in front of the elevator, because the second it opened, he was there, and in another second, he had Max wrapped up in a tight hug.

"You're alive."

"Again ... yeah," Max said, choking slightly.

"Sorry," he said, and hurriedly stood back from her.

Max looked at him for a few moments, waiting for some sign that the anti-virus hadn't worked, but he seemed healthy as ever, though his hair was longer.

"Uh, this is Alec," she said, and Logan finally noticed she wasn't alone.

Logan nodded, slightly confused, but stuck out his hand for Alec to shake.

"How do you two know each other?" Logan wondered.

"We were breeding partners at Manticore," Alec answered simply.

Max's eyes practically bulged out of her head, and Logan stood stock still.

"Excuse me?"

Max closed her eyes, wishing she was anywhere but there. She so hadn't wanted their conversation to start like that.

"That's a funny story ... really," Alec started, trying to take some of the pressure off of Max, put she put a hand on his arm, stopping him from making the situation worse.

"Logan, can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked, and Logan, glaring at Alec, lead Max back into his office.

"Okay ... awkward," Alec said quietly, then made his way to the kitchen, grabbing a beer.

...

"So, how'd it go, sugar?" Original Cindy asked her best friend, after Alec had slipped into the bathroom for a shower.

"The phrase "it could have been better", doesn't even come close."

"That bad?"

Max nodded. "And I wanted to blame it on Alec, but he was just being honest, and it would have come out sooner or later."

OC nodded. "So what you gonna do about blondie in there?"

"What do you mean?" Max wondered.

The shorter girl smiled. "You know exactly what I mean, Boo. I see the way you look at him. And it ain't nothing like the way I used to see you lookin' at Logan. You got him under your skin, so dish."

Max rolled her eyes, but another look from Original Cindy and she was talking.

"I don't know what it is, I just know that it _is,_ you know?"

OC nodded. "Original Cindy knows just what you mean Boo, and what you need."

"What do I need, oh wise one?" Max wondered playfully.

"You need to have yourself a go with that boy," she explained.

"What? Just like that?"

OC nodded.

Max shook her head. "I can't do that."

"Why not, you said you already did," OC said.

"Yeah, but that was back at Manticore, and I was in heat at first."

"Yeah, but not the last two times," OC corrected her from memory. "You said it yourself, you were back to yourself the those last times, but you two still went at it like rabbits."

"True ... but we're not back at Manticore anymore ... we're not breeding partners, we're not 452 and 494 ... we're people again. I mean, this is all new to him, not belonging to Manticore ... I just wouldn't want to push anything onto him right now."

"Honey, he abandoned everything he's ever known for you, to save you ... I think he can handle a little nookie."

"Who can handle a little nookie?" Alec asked, walking into the room, towel wrapped low around his waist, his entire body still damp from his shower.

Max caught herself staring after a few seconds, and tore her eyes away.

"No one ... nothing," she said. "What's up?"

Alec's eyes moved from side to side, then said, "Not a whole lot ... uh, you?"

"You know ... stuff," Max answered, and Original Cindy snorted.

"I'm-a leave you two lovebirds alone for a couple hours, kay?" she said, grabbing her jacket and making "scratch" hands at Max as she left.

"What was that about?" Alec asked Max as he fished around in his bags for some clothes, then dropped his towel as he grabbed a pair of boxers.

Max looked everywhere in the room except at him, a blush creeping up her cheeks.

...

_Okay, end of chapter six._

_What did you think of that one? _


	7. Chapter 7

_..._

_A Max/Alec fic._

_Chapter Seven_

_..._

_Disclaimer: I still don't own dark angel ... sigh. _

_..._

_A/N: Thanks for the reviews so far guys! _

_Okay, this chapter picks up right after the last one, so without further ado, with the exception of reminding everyone that I live for feedback, here's the next chapter!_

...

"What's up with you?" Alec wondered, looking over at Max. She'd been tense ever since they'd gotten back from that Logan guy's place, and now she could barely look at him.

"Huh? What ... nothing."

Alec raised his eyebrows, still looking at her.

"It's nothing, just watch the show alright?" she said.

"Come on, Maxie, tell me," he purred.

She blinked a few times, trying to stay focused on the tv.

"Oh ... I get it," Alec said. "Never mind."

"What?"

Alec smiled. "I just didn't think you were the shy type," he explained.

"What? Me, shy?"

Alec grinned.

Max rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I'm not shy," she insisted.

"Oh please, you practically turned a whole new shade of red when I took my towel off," he teased her.

"Well, a little modesty wouldn't kill you."

"What do I have to be "modest" about?" he wondered.

Max pursed her lips, trying not to think about his ... attributes.

He leaned dangerously close to her, whispering in her ear, "Come on, Maxie, a little fun never hurt anyone."

He had barely gotten the last word out when she lunged forward, turning to straddle his hips and catching his soft lips with her own.

She nibbled on his lower lip, and he slid his tonuge into her mouth with ease, tasting every crevace.

Max tucked her elbows into the cushions of the couch, wrapping her hands into his short hair, enjoying the light prickle against her skin as his arms wrapped securely around her middle.

She could feel him growing hard against her, and moaned softly into his mouth, begging him for more with a hitch in her voice.

Taking a firm hold on her, he stood from the couch, leading them into the bedroom when they heard a cough from behind them.

Alec froze, having not realized anyone had entered her apartment, and felt Max stiffen in his arms.

"Logan?"

Alec lowered Max to the ground, turning to see that Logan was indeed standing in their doorway.

"You don't knock?" he wondered, slightly put off.

Max found herself at a loss for words. Yes, she had told Logan that she had started something with Alec that she wanted to pursue, and that certainly put a damper on their relationship, but Logan walking in as she and Alec were about to ... that just sucked.

"Um ... was there something you needed?" she wondered, feeling her skin begin to heat up under the pressure of his stare.

Logan shook his head, as though he hadn't believed the sight before him. "I just ... wanted to talk to you. But I guess it can wait."

He turned to leave, and with one last hard look at Max, he walked out the door.

"Well ... that was fun," Alec said.

"Yeah."

Alec looked down at her. While he knew that she had been entirely willing, he also knew that something was holding her back. And with Logan walking in on them like that, he highly doubted she would be in the mood again, so he settled for wrapping his arms around her from behind, leaning his head on her shoulder.

"You okay?"

Max nodded, suddenly wanting to just lie down and not think about anything.

"Yeah, I'm just tired. I think I'm gonna head to bed."

Alec nodded. "I'm gonna stay up a bit longer, watch some television. Let me know if you need me?"

Max smiled and nodded, and he leaned down, kissing her quickly before heading back to the couch.

Max sighed quietly and went into her bedroom, closing the door almost all the way and lying down.

Alec looked at her door for a few minutes, then returned his attention to the blinking, changing colors of whatever show it was that he was supposed to be watching on the TV.

...

Logan drove back to his place, annoyed. Mostly at himself, for not having expected a scene like that, and at this new person in Max's life that was causing this rift between them. He and Max were supposed to be together, it had taken them a year to figure that out, and now ...

Logan looked down at his leggings, annoyed at that as well.

Stupid legs ... sure, she said it was never about him being able to walk, but who was he kidding? She wanted a real man, someone like her ... another X-5, and he could never be like that.

Didn't mean he had to like it. Or go quietly.

_No, you know what, screw this. I stuck by her through everything, her seizures, her cycles, everything that happened with her brothers and sisters, no way is some genetically empowered punk going to ruin what me and Max have. Not if I have anything to say about it. _

...

Alec flicked off the television, his mind now thoroughly numb. Cin - Original Cindy, he had to remind himself, had come back about an hour ago, and shaking her head at Alec alone on the couch, had said a quick hello and went into her room.

The apartment was quiet, save for the occasional snore coming from OC's room.

He sighed, setting the remote on the table beside him. He had never just sat down and watched TV until he got bored. Manticore would have never allowed it.

It was weird, not being there, not having an order, or an assignment. He wondered if they were looking for him. _No way I can go back now, even if I wanted to. Re-indoctrination ... or worse. Besides ... here's where I want to be. _

Alec rubbed a hand over his tired eyes, and stood, moving slowly to Max's room. He could just sleep on the couch, already he could tell it would be more comfortable than the beds at Manticore, but he wanted Max beside him, wrapped up in his arms.

When he became such a sap, he couldn't remember.

He opened her door slowly, and saw her turn, knowing she was awake, so he moved to the bed and slipped under the covers, pulling her into his embrace.

She didn't fight him, didn't protest in any way, and Alec found himself smiling as she turned her head towards him, laying herself across his chest.

Something told him she'd never done this with Logan. She'd said they'd never really been like that, but the amount of tension in the room earlier, there had to have been something sexual between them.

What he was feeling for Max, though, wasn't just sexual, and that was definitely new to him.

He breathed in deeply, catching the scent of her hair, and said, "You smell good."

Max chuckled against his chest, and he brought his hand up to her hair, stroking it softly.

_Sex can wait. This ... right here, this is pretty cool, too._

...

_Okay, end of chapter seven. _

_What did you think of this one? I'm thinking of adding in a Manticore/Renfro scene next chapter, what do you think?_

_As always, please leave some feedback!!_


	8. Chapter 8

_..._

_A Max/Alec fic._

_Chapter Eight._

_..._

_Disclaimer: I still don't own dark angel ... sigh. _

_..._

_A/N: Thanks again for the speedy reviews, guys! I love getting news messages in my inbox telling me to go to fanfiction dot net. (and I had to write it like that cuz last time it just deleted it...)_

_Anyways, so last chapter we got a bit more insight into Alec's character in this story, so in the next few chapters we'll get to see a bit more of him and Max, but with a few more characters as well, not just Logan or Original Cindy. _

_Aaandd ... Manticore is coming back into play in this chapter, so we'll get to see some "transgenics" in action!_

_Hehe, alright enough out of me ... I'm on a slight sugar high ... _

_As always, please read and review, I live for feedback! I've been updating this story a lot more because my other ones aren't getting as much reviews, so yay for my regulars!_

...

The next day, Max got a phone call. It was about 6 in the morning, and she woke to the sound of insistent ringing, and the warm body beside her wan't budging.

So, Max squirmed a bit to reach the phone, then settled back into her previous position beside Alec before answering the phone.

"You got Max," she said.

"It really is you," came a female's voice.

"Syl?" Max said, sitting up, causing Alec to stir. "Are you okay?"

She could practically hear her sister smile. "I'm good. So is Krit. We're back in town."

"That's great, when can I see you?"

"Well ..." her sister trailed off, and Max heard a knock at the door.

Grinning, Max hung up the phone and ran to the door, opening it and practically throwing herself into the arms of her brother, Krit.

She was so relieved to see them alive, she didn't bother trying to hold back the tears that fell from her eyes. She felt her sister's arms fold around the both of them, and they stood there in the hallway, holding each other and crying and laughing and not even caring who saw them.

"Um, Max, you alright?" Alec asked from behind her.

The three of them raised their heads, and Max turned to nod at him, and was about to speak but Syl said, "Ben? Is that you?"

She moved to hug him as well, but he held his hands up. "Not Ben."

Syl looked back at Max, who looked suddenly even more sad. She hadn't told them about what happened to Ben.

"This is Alec ... he helped me escape from Manticore. His designation's 494," she explained.

"Oh, okay," Syl said, and both she and Krit nodded.

"Well, hi, I'm Syl, and thanks," she said.

Alec nodded. "No problem."

Krit moved forward and clapped Alec on the shoulder. "Yeah, thanks for bringing our girl home."

"So, how'd you know I was back?" Max wondered.

"Logan called us, gave us the heads up," Krit said. "Now that you're back in the game, we've got a new plan."

"What kind of plan?"

Syl and Krit smiled. "A get rid of Manticore forever, kind of plan."

...

It didn't take much work getting Syl and Krit a job at Jam Pony. Normal had seen the improvement in both Max and OC's work since he'd hired Alec, so he thought he'd take a shot with two more of _Alec's _friends.

There was something about that kid that he liked, and if keeping him happy meant keeping Max in line, then hiring a few more "workers" was an acceptable price to pay.

At least, that's what Max figured he was thinking, so she went with it.

Syl and Krit had filled her and Alec in on their plan, but it admittedly still had a few kinks, so Max decided they were going to play it smart this time, and not rush into anything. That's how they lost Ben, Tinga ... Zack... she wasn't going to sacrifice the lives of her brother and sister, or Alec, or any of the other "victims" of Manticore still in that hell-hole. Especially Joshua. She was going to save him, simple as that.

So, instead of missing a bunch of work her first week back, Max convinced Syl and Krit to apply at Jam Pony, it was good for the sector pass, and allowed them to pool their funds for supplies. Not that Logan wasn't willing to help out in that department.

Syl and Krit were crashing at Logan's, much to Max's dismay ... she wanted to spend as much time with her family as she could, but she also knew there wasn't enough room for everyone to stay at hers and OC's place. Plus, Logan had promised to help them out in any way he could.

Max stood in the shower, letting the water pour over her tense body, thinking about how things had been with Logan lately.

When he had walked in on her and Alec about to _get busy_, he had seemed almost mortified, but when she had talked to him next, he acted like the entire thing had never even happened, had immediately offered his services to their "cause".

She was happy things weren't weird between them, but she felt like things weren't entirely over, either. Not that she wanted to be with him. No way. Not after everything that's happened. I can't even think about him in that way anymore ... _and let's be honest, all that time last year, and nothing happened? If you're gonna be with someone, you be with them, simple as that. Me and Logan were good friends, partners even, but lovers? As long as he understands that, we're good. _

_Now I just have to get over this nervousness around Alec. _

It had been a week since the "incident" when Logan had walked in on them, and they still hadn't really talked about it. And Max really didn't see Alec as the "talking about his feelings" type.

_Ugh, what is wrong with me? Since when do I over-analyze things like this? I see something I want, and I go after it. And I do want Alec. He's so ... yummy. Wow, that sounds trashy, but there it is. I mean, he risks everything to save me, to stop me from unintentionally hurting one of my friends, he can make me laugh when I feel like crying, and lets me cry on his shoulder whenever I'm just too down on myself. And HELLO to that body! My God, the only good thing you can say about Manticore is they "had" Alec._

"Knock knock," came a male voice from outside the door, and Max smiled slightly as she both heard and felt Alec enter the bathroom.

"Hey, I'll be out in a minute," she said, then felt a rush of cool air as the curtain was opened behind her.

"Hey! Cold!" she complained as he stepped in the shower.

She suddenly felt very naked, and moved to cover herself up, but he leaned in and kissed her softly before grabbing the soap from beside her and starting to clean himself.

"Don't mind me," he said innocently. "Won't be long."

Max playfully glared at him, but grabbed her towel from outside the shower and stepped out.

"So, you heading over to Logan's with Cindy?" he wondered from inside the shower.

"Yep, he managed to hack into Renfro's email, and said he found something interesting. You coming?"

There was a slight pause, then he said, "I don't know. Am I welcome there?"

"Of course you are," she said. "You're part of the team. Part of the family."

She heard Alec snicker. "Well, that's slightly gross on a few levels."

"Not like that, dufus," she told him. "Trust me, none of them see you as ... him."

"You mean Ben?"

Max hadn't wanted to tell him about Ben, but she felt that she owed him that much, and it had been one of the moments when she'd hid her face in his chest and cried.

She told him about Ben, about what Manticore had done to him, about what he was doing to himself and others on the outside world. How he had begged her not to let them take him. How he'd asked her to kill him. How she hadn't wanted to, but she had done it, for him.

When she had told Alec this, he had felt compassion for Max, and anger towards Manticore. He'd never really felt like he belonged there, and maybe that was why. Maybe he and his twin had that in common. And what Renfro had been planning to do to Max, to kill someone she obviously cared about, just to screw with her head? That had sealed the deal for Alec. He cared for Max more than he ever thought possible, and he wasn't gonna let some stuck-up blonde bitch do anything to hurt her.

"Yeah ... Ben. Trust me, it won't be an issue," Max said.

"Well, that's a relief, but I was thinking more about Logan," Alec said, shutting off the water and stepping out, not reaching for his towel immediately on purpose.

Max averted her gaze, looking at the wall behind his head.

Alec smiled. "You really need to work on this whole "shy" thing."

Max began to retort, but he was moving closer to her, and she felt powerless to stop him.

He was a breath away from her when he paused, looking into her half-closed eyes. "I like you."

Max was surprised by such a statement, but didn't have time to process or respond, because his lips descened upon hers with such a bittersweet softness that she just sighed into his mouth, dropping her towel.

She felt Alec smile, and bit his lower lip, causing him to gasp slightly.

She felt herself being picked up, and then they were back in the shower, the warm water cascading over them.

Alec kept her in his arms, leaning her into the wall of the shower as he trailed kisses down her neck to her collarbone, then dipping lower.

Max began to purr, wrapping her arms under his and up to his shoulders, pulling him closer to him as she felt a heat growing in the base of her stomach.

She felt Alec growing hard, and was about to guide him to her, when OC's voice came chiming from the other room.

"You two coming, or what?"

Max laughed at the irony of that statement, but slid herself down to the floor, both her and Alec panting hard, feeling less than relieved.

"We'll, uh ... continue this later?"

Alec nodded. "Definitely."

...

_Okay, end of chapter eight. _

_So this chapter was basically an "info" chapter. Explain everything that's about to happen so we can get to the fun "it's happening" part! _

_And ooh, almost some Max and Alec togetherness!! Will see more of that in the next chapter, and hopefully some Logan jealousy. I've said it before, I love Michael Weatherly, but I don't like the character of Logan, he just bugs me, and I love both Jensen Ackles and his character Alec ... and love the Max/Alec pairing ... so, anyways ... blah. _

_Until next time...!_


	9. Chapter 9

_..._

_A Max/Alec fic. _

_Chapter Nine. _

_..._

_Disclaimer: I still don't own dark angel ... sigh. _

_..._

_A/N: I'm so happy that everyone is liking this story so far. Thanks for all the feedback guys!_

_So, in the last chapter, Max and Alec started something in the shower, but were interrupted, and now they have to go over to Logan's with all that build up sexual energy ... we'll see how that plays out. _

_Also, in this chapter, at this point, Alec hasn't found out about Rachel not being techinically dead yet, so in his mind, she died in the car explosion. _

_As always, please read and review, I live for feedback ... it's sad, really. _

...

Logan waited slightly impatiently for Max and Original Cindy to arrive. He'd wanted to talk to Max all week, but wanted to give her some space to adjust to being back.

He was sure that whatever it was that was going on with her and the other transgenic was just displacement or something, she couldn't really like him, he was everything "Manticore". Born and raised soldier-boy, so not Max's type.

_Yep, just give it some time, she'll come around ... with a little help from her friends._

So it was understandable that when Max and Cindy walked in, his eyes widened slightly, and he coughed a few times as Alec walked in behind them, shutting the door.

_Well ... this sucks. Kind of hard to get some alone time with her if he's hanging around. _

"Okay, everyone present and accounted for, Boos," Original Cindy said, clapping her hands together. "Let's get this party goin'."

Logan walked over to the "meeting" area, the tell-tale squeak of his leg-device with every step, and handed out the papers he'd printed off earlier.

"These are the emails I've gathered from Renfro's inbox. As you can see, she's getting a lot of pressure from her bosses and investors to either recapture the two of you," he nodded towards Max and Alec, "as well as the rest of the 09-ers, or shut down Manticore permanently."

There was a collective sigh around the room, and the transgenics all shared the same look of anger.

"We have to stop them," Syl said.

"Agreed."

"Is the plan in place?" Logan wondered.

"Almost," Krit told them. "Just waiting on a contact of mine."

"You sure you guys are ready to put this thing into motion?" Original Cindy wondered.

Max said, "We have to be. We can't stand by and let them murder what they created. I can't let Joshua die."

Alec put a tender hand over hers. The action was not missed by anyone in the room.

"We'll save him," he promised.

Max nodded, not wanting to think about losing someone as innocent as Joshua.

"Alright, then, it's decided, we go in tomorrow, assuming we've heard back from your contact by then?" Logan said.

Krit nodded.

Syl and Krit moved into their bedroom after saying goodnight to everyone, and Original Cindy, Alec and Max were getting their coats on, ready to leave.

Logan was walking into the kitchen when he said, "Max, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Max looked at the two beside her and shrugged.

"I'll meet you out there," she said.

Alec gave her a worried look, but she gave him a tight grin and went to see what Logan wanted.

"What's up?"

Logan was leaning against the kitchen table. "Well, I just wanted to talk about what happened the other day."

_Wow ... now he wants to talk? A week later?_

"What about it?" she wondered half innocently, half sarcastic ... maybe she was starting to feel more like herself.

Logan sighed. "Look, I know you've been through hell and back, and everything feels different now that you're out of there, I just worry about you, and I don't want to see you rushing into something, only to get hurt."

Max stared at him.

"What?" he said, standing upright again.

"Okay, I know we started something before we left, but that was ages ago. And nothing was set in stone."

"I'm not trying to make you feel bad, Max, I'm just trying to look out for you," he insisted half-honestly.

Max sighed, believing him.

"It's just ... it took us a year before we even let anything happen between us. People who are supposed to ... be together, don't just wait around like that, doing nothing. I mean nothing was really stopping us from being together, except us," Max said.

Logan moved closer to her. "And maybe I'm regretting that a little."

Max remained rooted to the spot, hands crossed over her chest and he continued walking towards her, but once he moved into her bubble, she backed away.

"Logan, we're not like that," she said.

He looked down at her. "But we could be. If we just let ourselves."

Max turned her head to the side, focusing anywhere but at Logan. "Logan ... I don't want to be like that with you. Not now. This thing with Alec ... I don't really know what it is, but I want to find out, and I can't do that and deal with all of our old issues. Alec is -"

"He's Manticore," Logan cut her off.

Max's eyes bore into his until he had to look away.

"You're clearly forgetting a few things. First of all, Alec saved me from that place. Second, he saved your life as well, so you might try showing a little consideration. And third, you know nothing about him, or any of us _Manticore_ people, so lay off."

Logan was quiet for a moment, and Max turned to look at him, hoping she hadn't hurt him too badly.

"Max, you're my friend above anything else, and I would never force myself on you. I just think you aren't exactly thinking straight right now, what with everything that's happened to you."

"Yeah, well, I can boohoo another time, right now I got work to do. And so do you, so just get over this and move on," she said.

Logan laughed at her attempt at the English language.

"Just promise me one thing?"

"What?"

Logan stared into her eyes heavily. "Just wait until this is all over before you make a decision."

Max turned away from him, saying in a hushed voice, so quiet you'd have to have _transgenic_ hearing to make out, "I've already made my decision."

As Logan turned his back, and Max made her way back to the front door, no one noticed a grinning Alec sneaking back to the roof to make his way back to Original Cindy. Hell, screw grinning ... his face was all lit up.

...

The three of them sat up watching some old movie until the rhythmic snoring of Original Cindy became louder than the show.

Max tucked her friend in on the couch, and then she and Alec made their way to her bedroom.

Max found herself growing nervous once again. They were alone, in the dark, in her bedroom, and they had said they would continue their "activities" from the shower, and she had wanted it so badly then, but now, standing awkwardly by her bed, she wished that they had either finished it in the shower, or not done anything at all.

Anything other than this awkwardness.

"So, um, I never asked you if you had a preference," Max said.

"Huh?"

She shook her head, thinking of the utter wrongness of that sentence. "I mean uh, side of the bed? Any preference, left or right? 'Cause, I can, um ... sleep anywhere."

_Wow, Max, get a grip already. _

"Uh ... window-side, if you don't mind?"

Max shook her head and moved to the left side of the bed, sliding under the covers.

"So are you nervous?" Alec wondered as he took his shirt and shoes off in what seemed like one fluid movement.

"Me, nervous? No, you?"

Her teeth were practically chattering.

"Well, I got to admit, I've never done it before."

Max stared at him for a few seconds.

"What?" he wondered, slipping into the bed beside her.

"I have it on pretty good authority that you've done it a few times," she told him, staring at him like he'd lost his mind.

"What?"

"What are you talking about?" Max asked him.

"The attack on Manticore ... I've never attacked them before." He looked over at her, sitting up slightly. "What are you talking about?"

Max felt herself beginning to flush.

"Uh, nothing."

Alec gave her a lopsided grin. "Wow, you're still shy?"

Max punched him and turned over, settling down. "I'm not shy."

Alec smiled down at her while nursing the spot on his chest where she hit him, thinking he'd never seen anything cuter than that.

Leaning on his elbow, he brought his other hand up to the side of her face, then down to her neck, brushing the hair to the side as he lowered his mouth to her neck.

Placing quick, light kisses on her warm skin, smiling as he felt her relax into him.

Turning her towards him again, he captured her mouth, their tongues meeting immediately.

Before Rachel, he'd never thought he'd ever find a woman that he wanted to be with so badly. When she had died because of him, he'd felt a great sorrow, followed by such an emptiness, he never thought anyone could ever fill it again.

But as he filled Max, holding her to him with each thrust, he began to feel whole again, and it brought a happy smile to his face once again.

Out in the living room, Original Cindy smiled slyly at the sounds coming from Max's room.

"It's about damn time, Boo."

...

_Okay, end of chapter nine. _

_I know, the last chapter wasn't that great ... pretty boring actually, but hopefully these next ones will be better!_

_As always, please leave me some feedback!_

_Until next time ... _

_Oh, I should also tell you guys that I'm moving this weekend, so if I'm not updating that much, it's because my computer is packed! ... (I hope not!)_


	10. Chapter 10

_..._

_A Max/Alec fic. _

_Chapter Ten_

_..._

_Disclaimer: Still don't own Dark Angel ... sigh. _

_..._

_A/N: Alright, well I'm using my mum's laptop for now, because I'm still missing my computer mouse, and the power bar, they are hidden away somewhere, torturing me. _

_But I did manange to get my Supernatural fix this morning, on both Youtube, and my mum's laptop plays DVD's, unlike mine 'cause it's a Mac, or something like that. _

_Anyways, here's the next chapter, finally ... even though it's only been a few days since I updated, it feels like a lifetime, with all the stuff we had to haul, and only getting a few hours sleep each night ... it kinda sucks being a pack-rat._

_Oy ... enough moving chatter. _

_So, in the last chapter, we saw them getting ready to take out Manticore, Max made her choice between Logan and Alec (even though Logan is going to be a douche, and not take no for an answer right away ... hehe, I love writing him annoying), and Max and Alec finally got some action. Woohoo!_

_Alright-roo, on with the rest of the story! Thanks for all the comments so far guys! You make me smile!!_

_To all you newcomers ... it makes me kinda sad when I get 400 hits on one chapter, and only 8 reviews ... pout, whine, wail, cry ... boo hoo, oh woe is me, and all that!_

_Blah ... as always, please read and review, I live for feedback!!_

...

Max slept peacefully through another night, wrapped in Alec's arms, and woke slowly for once.

Usually once she was up, she was up, since she only ever slept a couple hours at a time anyway. Although, she didn't usually have sex with a transgenic, which can be slightly exhausting. But more of that later ...

Right now, Max was too busy enjoying the steady beat of his heart against her ear, the feel of his powerful muscles beneath her, and the soothing way he was rubbing her back.

"Good morning, Maxie," Alec said quietly.

"Mmhmm," she mumbled, trying to cling to the last bit of unconsciousness.

Alec smirked at that. "You're just adorable when you sleep. Especially the way you snore."

"I don't snore!" Max said indignantly, pushing herself up onto her elbows. "You're imagining things."

"There she is," he said, swooping in to capture her lips.

She pouted for a few moments at his trick, but then gave into the kiss, but breaking it off sooner than he would have liked.

Getting out of bed, she flipped the blanket over his head and moved into the bathroom for a quick shower.

She didn't need Original Cindy to tell her how much she smelled like sex.

Last night had been ... well, 'wow' would cover parts of it, but that was an understatement.

She now understood why animals mated for life ... once you found one that was absolutely perfect for you ... you ain't letting that go.

She washed and dried herself quickly, and came out of the bathroom in a towel to find Original Cindy giving Alec the third-degree.

"And if you hurt her, Original Cindy's gonna put the beat-down on your ass, I don't care if you be transgenic or not, fool, understand?"

Alec nodded meakly, eyes darting to Max for help.

Not even a genetically-empowered super-human could take out Original Cindy when she had her mind set.

"Alright girl, I think he gets the message," Max said, shooing her friend out of her room so she could get changed.

"Well, she's ..."

"Scary?" Max finished.

Alec nodded.

"Don't worry, she means well," she said as she got dressed.

"Oh, yeah, I'm sure she'll be very kind as she's removing my testicles with a spoon," Alec said.

"She actually said that?"

Alec nodded.

"Well, you'll just have to be a good boy, then," Max said, finished dressing herself, and moving over to sit on Alec's lap.

He smiled, wrapping his hands around her waist, loving the smell of her hair as she leaned her head down on his shoulder.

"Do we have time to ..." Alec began, but was cut off by a voice coming from outside the room.

"Logan, what are you doing here?" OC asked loudly, obviously trying to give them time to straighten up.

Max sighed heavily, but stood and opened the door, Alec following closely behind her, wanting Logan to see them coming out of the room together.

"Hey, Max, I wanted to ... oh, hi Alec," Logan said.

"What do you want, Logan?" Max wondered, feeling Alec's arms come around her stomach, and she didn't care to remove them.

Alec watched Logan clench his jaw, but the man was at least smart enough not to have a hissy-fit, or some macho show-down over Max.

"Krit heard from his contact, and we're about ready to go, we just need to pick up the ammo, so, um, are you guys ready?"

Max nodded. "As ready as we're ever going to be. Where do you want to meet?"

Logan handed her a piece of paper. "That's the address to a warehouse I have rented out, to hold our supplies. Krit and Syl are going to meet us there, and I'm on my way there now."

Max nodded again. "Okay, we'll be about ten minutes behind you."

Logan looked at Alec once more before nodding. "Yeah. I'll see you there."

He turned around, and was almost out the door when stopped and said, "Just try to remember what we talked about before, Max?"

And then he was gone.

Max rolled her eyes, and leaned back against Alec's shoulder.

"That boy still thinks you and he are hookin' up?" OC wondered.

Max nodded. "Looks like."

Alec kissed the top of her head. "You know, if it is something you need to think about, you don't need to rush into anything here. I mean, if you think you need ti-"

He was cut off by Max's lips pressed against his.

"Trust me," Max said, breaking away. "My mind is perfectly clear on the subject."

Alec smiled. "Good, 'cause I was bluffing."

...

Alec, Max and Original Cindy rode their messenger bikes to the warehouse, not wanting to draw attention to themselves with three people riding on one motorcycle, so they were a little later than Max had anticipated, but the only one who seemed to mind was Logan.

Max expected him to be angry with her, and with Alec for "stealing her away", but what she didn't expect was this ... child.

He was walking back and forth with his hands in his pockets, not looking at Max while Krit traded some pretty expensive diamonds he'd snagged for their weapons, and Syl and Max went over the floor-plans for Manticore.

Max and Alec, having been there most recently, knew their way around the place, but Syl and Krit were going to need help to know where to lay their charges.

A couple of times, Max needed to clarify a few details with Logan, and she tried very hard to be polite to him, but he would just answer with short, half-hearted answers, looking away from her as often as he could.

_If he's going to be such a child about it, I'm not even going to bother trying to keep our friendship. _

So the rest of the morning, Max stuck close by Alec and Original Cindy, and focused on the task at hand: Destroy Manticore once and for all.

The very thought made her warm and tingly all over.

...

_Okay, end of chapter ten. _

_I hope you're all liking it so far, if so, don't be shy about leaving me some feedback, and even if you don't like it, feel free to tell me what it is you don't like. _

_Thanks for all the "good luck with moving" comments, guys, it wasn't all that bad, only took us a few days to get everything over here, it's just the setting everything up that's being annoying. _

_I must have lost about 20 pounds this week ... so woohoo for that!_

_Anyways, I'll try to update again as soon as I can! _


	11. Chapter 11

_..._

_A Max/Alec fic._

_Chapter Eleven. _

_..._

_Disclaimer: I still don't own Dark Angel ... sigh. _

_..._

_A/N: Okay, so first of all, just to answer a few questions. So, for OC giving Alec the riot act, was because she knew that Max liked Alec, and that Alec liked her, she was just being her over-protective self, and making Alec understand that he wasn't allowed to mess around with her feelings, like she would have with Logan if they'd ever gotten serious. _

_And I know, it's their own fault that they ruined the Max/Logan relationship, and then they couldn't even get Max and Alec together properly. _

_Also, yeah, that chapter was kind of short, but I didn't really know what else to add in that chapter without it feeling too rushed. But don't worry, the next chapter will be longer. _

_Okay, so thanks for all the reviews guys! You've been great! I'm so happy that everyone's liking this story!_

_We're just about all settled in here ... it would have been so much easier if my stupid brother-in-law hadn't just decided to pile everything into the garage and living room. Grr-face. _

_Anyways, on with the story. _

_As always, please read and review. I live for feedback!_

...

They were inside. Logan had hacked all of the cameras, and replayed them on a loop, so they were invisible to the security monitors. Their charges were placed, all but the one in Renfro's office. Max and Alec were on their way there now. She had already gotten Joshua and the rest of the "nomlies" out. Syl and Krit were getting the "normal" soldiers out.

Max couldn't believe they were finally going to be rid of this place.

Manticore had no idea they were there, what a shock this would be to their bosses in the morning.

Max and Alec stopped at the door to Renfro's office.

Looking at each other once, they nodded, and burst through the door.

To say that Max was surprised to be shot with a dart when she walked through was an understatement.

She vaguely heard Renfro say something about having a separate security system, but her world was going black.

She heard a gunshot, and tried to focus her eyes to see if Alec was okay, but her eyelids were too heavy.

Then she felt herself being lifted by strong arms, and by the familiar smell, she knew it was Alec.

"Max, you've been re-infected. We have to get to the anti-virus," he told her.

Some small part of her mind registered the fact that Alec was touching her, so it wasn't him that she would kill by touching them, but her brain clouded over, and she let the darkness take her for now.

...

Max woke up, blinking her eyes to adjust to the light.

She looked around her, recognising the features of her small room, and saw a dark figure at the end of her bed.

Sitting up, she saw Alec turn her head towards her.

"Hey," she said.

He nodded once.

"What's wrong?" she wondered.

He looked away from her. "What do you remember?"

Max thought back.

"The attack on Manticore, it was going well, all that was left was that stupid briefcase that Renfro had, so they couldn't start over somewhere else ... uh, after that, not much. What happened? Were we compromised? Are Syl and Krit okay?"

Alec nodded. "Everyone else is fine."

Max shook her head. "Everyone else?"

"Max ... you were re-infected. Renfro shot you with a dart full of the virus. A much stronger dose this time, considering it was able to re-infect you at all. Max, I couldn't find the anti-virus."

Max absorbed everything he had said, and was quiet for a while.

"Are you mad at me?" he wondered.

"What? No," she insisted, moving down the bed towards him. "It wasn't your fault. It was her fault. It's not like it's gonna be a huge task to not touch Logan until we can find a cure."

Alec nodded. "Good."

Max smiled at him.

"So, Syl and Krit are at the warehouse, if you wanna go see them."

Max moved so that she was sitting on his lap. "I think I can wait a little bit before we go see people."

Alec grinned, pulling her hair back from her face as he kissed her.

Original Cindy opened the door to Max's room, phone in hand, covering her eyes.

"Max, your boy Joshua's on the phone, and so does not know how to use it," she said, throwing the phone on the bed.

"Original Cindy, we have clothes on," Alec said. "You don't have to cover your eyes."

"You think I wanna see you hetero's doing it?" OC said, closing the door behind her as she left.

Max chuckled and picked up the phone. "Joshua?"

"MAX!" he yelled, causing Max to jerk the phone away from her ear. "MAX WHERE ARE YOU?"

"Joshua, you don't have to yell, I can hear you just fine," Max said.

"MAX, I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON! WHERE AM I?" he yelled.

Max sighed. "Joshua, stay there, I'm coming over," she promised. "Just wait there."

Max hung up the phone and sighed, looking at Alec.

"We can pick this up later," he promised, kissing the top of her head.

Max tussled his hair and they both left on her motorcycle.

...

When they got there, Logan and Joshua were yelling at each other.

"Max said to stay here, you're gonna stay here!" Logan ordered.

"Max not here! You not boss of me! Joshua find Sandman!" Joshua yelled back.

"Hey, you two, take a step back," Max said, and Joshua moved over to her.

"Little Fella here," he said, hugging her.

"Of course I am, Big Fella," she replied. "But air is becoming an issue."

Joshua released his hold on her and nodded at Alec behind her.

"Well, I guess that makes me Medium Fella," he joked.

Max rolled her eyes plafully at him and looked back at Joshua.

"So, what's wrong, Big Fella?"

"This place, all new, where all my brothers and sisters?" he wanted to know.

"They're being taken care of," Alec said.

After the attack on Manticore, Logan, Syl, Krit, and a few members of Alec's old unit had gotten the "nomlies" and the rest of the X-Series into Terminal City. They were currently in the process of relocating all those who didn't wish to live in Seattle.

"They need me to take care of them," Joshua insisted.

"Joshua, I'll take you to them," Max promised. "We'll have to take the sewers, but I'll get you there."

"Max, can I - " Logan started, but Syl and Krit had just come out of the back room and spotted Max.

"Hey, sis!" they shouted, and ran towards her.

"Syl, Krit!" Max said, hugging them each in turn. "You're okay."

"Of course," Syl said. "Now that we know you're okay."

"Max, I just need to -"

Logan was cut off again, this time by Joshua.

"Max, when will we go see them?" he asked.

"We can head over right now, if you want Max," Krit said.

"We're set up pretty good for now, but we're gonna need more food and water soon," Syl told her.

Max nodded, and the 4 X-5s and Joshua made their way to the sewers, but Max was stopped with a hand on her shoulder.

"Max, I need to talk to you," Logan said.

"You idiot! Don't touch me!" Max yelled.

She was grateful that she was wearing a sweater, and not one of her usual tank tops.

"Hey, it's not like I touched your skin," he said, annoyed. "But how the hell else am I gonna get you to talk to me?"

Max glared at him. "Use a phone."

Alec stepped behind Max, putting himself between her and Logan.

"Why don't we talk about this later," he suggested. "Right now, I think J-man's gonna freak if we don't get him to Terminal City."

Max nodded, leading them to the sewer entrance on the backside of the building, leaving Logan standing in the middle of the room, glaring at Alec's back.

_Well, this complicates things,_ Logan thought.

...

_Okay, end of chapter eleven. _

_I hope your still liking it, this story's only going to have a few more chapters before it's complete. _

_I want to throw in a bit more Logan jealousy as well as him trying to get Max back. There might even be an Alec kicking Logan's ass scene. _

_Also, I haven't decided if I want Alec and Max to stay in Terminal City, or leave Seattle altogether. I like the idea of them starting a new life together, but I also want to keep with the Freak Nation storyline. _

_Any thoughts? I am open to outside suggestion. _

_Don't be shy about leaving feedback!_


	12. Chapter 12

_..._

_A Max/Alec fic. _

_Chapter Twelve. _

_..._

_Disclaimer: See previous chapters ..._

_..._

_A/N: I know, it's been ages since I've updated this. I'm a horrible person, I apologize profusely. _

_I'll try to finish this story before I start any new ones, I want to get it finished for you guys. I'm thinking a couple chapters, and it'll be finished. _

_Well, I'm sure none of us want to listen to me ramble on and on, so let's just get on with it, shall we?_

_I hope you guys like it, I know I'll love writing it. _

_As always, please read and review, I live for feedback! _

...

When they arrived at Terminal City, Max wasn't surprised in the least to see that the inhabitants had split themselves up into their series, banding together with their "own". The "normal looking" transgenics shied away from the "nomlies", not used to seeing them so close, if at all.

Max moved through the crowd with Alec and Joshua, catching looks from everyone. All of the nomlies recognized Joshua, and most of the X5s and upwards recognized Max and Alec. Several still had some contempt for Max, but she knew that most everyone respected Alec. He was a perfect soldier, and had a strong reputation from Manticore. She would have to use that to her advantage, knowing that he would be fine with it. It was the only way to gain their trust.

Sighing, she made her way up to a makeshift stage area, climbing up with Alec and Joshua. There were murmurs throughout the crowd of transgenics, all of them clearly wondering what she was about to do or say.

"Alright, so I know you guys got lots of questions, and this is all a bit disorienting, but trust me when I say you're better off here than at Manticore," she spoke, her voice deep and strong.

A fair number of the more "unusual" transgenics nodded their heads in agreement, but the later X series took issue with that.

"Says who? You? You destroyed our home, you kidnapped us from Manticore!" one of the X6s said.

A few others voiced their agreement, and Max knew she'd have to do some damage control before she had a riot on her hands. She turned to Joshua, placing a hand on his arm. "You know the others best. Can you take them aside and make sure they're cool?"

He nodded. "Sure, Little Fella."

Max smiled, watching him move through the crowd and take a large majority with him to another part of the complex. The remaining X series looked at her with annoyed, expectant expressions on their sculpted faces. She didn't know where to begin, but luckily she had a little help.

"Hey, you guys can bitch and moan all you want, but we all know that life at Manticore was less than stellar," Alec reminded them. He turned to the X5s to the left of the stage. "I know for a fact that most of you hated the forced breeding, and the unquestionable obedience. But it's more than that," he told them, his voice carrying over their scoffs. "Manticore was messed up, guys. I mean, the theory is all well and good, but we're more than soldiers. We're people, and we have rights. This woman," he said, motioning to Max, "saved every single one of you from that maniac, Renfro. And she didn't get out of there without loss. They injected her with a virus, specifically targeted for a man whose only crime was that he was a Freedom Fighter, trying to get the truth out to the people. Anyone here wanna tell me how they think that's okay?"

Silence rang through the crowd, and Max gripped Alec's hand, thanking him for his help. "Look, we're not gonna make you stay here if you don't want to. We're not Manticore. But if you want to stay here, then we need to work together. Those of _us_ that can't leave," she continued, emphasizing the 'us', "are gonna need help. We're family, and I would put my life on the line for each and every one of you."

Alec nodded. "And she did."

Max exhaled, thinking things were finally getting on track. "Alright, so first things first ... steady employment. Who here is willing to get out there and find themselves a job?"

A few seconds passed before one hand rose in the air. Max recognized her as a fellow X5. A few more rose after that, and soon most of the people in front of them showed their willingness to help out.

Max smiled. "Okay, good. I'm sure I can swing employment for some of you at my work, and the others, we'll get you stationed throughout the city. Next up on the agenda, if we're gonna be living here full-time, we're gonna need some decent accommodations. Who's good for supply runs?"

A few more people raised their hands, and Max paired up a couple X5s with some X6s and one X7. "Alright, come find me later, and we'll work out a system. Next up, we're gonna need money, and lots of it. Anyone got a problem with using 'frowned upon' methods to get what we need?"

There were actually a few grins throughout the crowd, and no one put their hands up.

Max smirked at Alec. "Good. 'Cause we're gonna need weapons too, and they don't just mass supply those at your local gun store."

...

Max never would have imagined herself in a position of leadership, especially when it came to her fellow transgenics. She was happy to follow Zack's lead, and she was a good soldier ... but this was new. Alec slid easily into the role of her second-in-command. She'd offered him the job, but he'd shrugged it off, telling her he was good where he was. She was more suited for it, he was just her arm-candy.

Max smacked him playfully when he told her that, rolling her eyes when he caught her hand and tugged her into his chest, swallowing her retort with his luscious mouth.

Max had managed to get four of the X6s and one X5 a job at Jam Pony. Any more would have been pushing it, as Normal was testy enough as it was. But, they were all good at their jobs, and did their best to not arouse suspicion. Some of them also moved out of TC, but stayed in Seattle, finding apartments around the city.

Max kept her apartment with Original Cindy, not wanting to separate herself from her old life. Alec stayed with her most nights, and sometimes they both ended up staying at TC with the others. Construction was moving fairly well, but they had to be discrete about the lumber and cement trucks that they robbed. It wouldn't bode well if the citizens and government of Seattle figured out that the previously uninhabitable Terminal City was the new stomping grounds of genetically empowered soldiers. For this same reason they had to work at night, and leave the outside of the complex as run-down as it had been when they'd arrived there. But the inside was a totally different story.

They kept the main routes as clear as they could, leaving room for large trucks to drive through the small city. But they now had real rooms, including a computer area, bedrooms and even a couple training rooms. A couple X6s had 'borrowed' some equipment from a large gym two cities over, and they now had fully functional areas for them to hone their skills, or even just let off some steam. Max had used the punching bags a few times herself, usually whenever Logan pissed her off, which he'd been doing a lot lately.

He was the one dark spot in her new, happy life. He refused to accept the fact that they weren't getting together, and shrugged off the virus like it was no big deal. As far as he was concerned, he could just get another transgenic to infuse him with their blood if something happened to him, or Max could make more of an effort to find the cure.

She'd nearly hit him when he'd made that statement, but she reminded herself that she wanted to bruise him, not kill him. He was constantly asking her to go on Eyes Only missions for him, and she tried numerous times to drill it into his head that she didn't have time, that all of her effort had to go into making a new home for her transgenic family. As much as Logan claimed that that part of her life never bothered him, it clearly did.

She'd finally told him that she needed some time apart to re-evaluate their relationship, and that if he knew what was good for him, he'd stay away for a while. The glare she'd sent him had seemed to get through to him, but Max was still doubtful.

All-in-all, Max adjusting to the change in her life pretty damn well. And honestly, she had to attribute most of that to Alec. He was there for her literally whenever she needed him, whether it was for a de-stressing cuddle, or a snarky sparring match. All was well ...

...

Ames White paced around the remains of the Manticore facility, his men standing awkwardly behind him with worried expressions on their faces.

"Who would like to explain to me why none of these mutant freaks are responding to the 'come home' signal we've been sending out?" he asked to the practically trembling men.

Silence rang out for a few seconds before one brave soul spoke up. "Sir, we believe that the ones who attacked the facility in the first place have turned the soldiers against Manticore."

White turned to glare at the man. "Well, that's unfortunate."

Another soldier let his voice be heard, "We believe the transgenic behind it was one that had previously escaped in '09. Designation X5-452, Sir."

White nodded slowly, thinking over everything he knew about the project. "Well, we'll just have to cut off the head of the snake, won't we? I want 452 found, now. It's time to clean up this mess."

...

_End of chapter twelve. _

_Again, sorry for the long wait. I'll try to get this finished ASAP for you guys. _

_Reviews are appreciated, flame if you must, but constructive criticism is much more useful. _

_Until next time ...! _


	13. Chapter 13

_..._

_A Max/Alec fic. _

_Chapter Thirteen. _

_..._

_Disclaimer: See previous chapters ..._

_..._

_A/N: Wanted to get this one out quickly, I confess I'm trying to entice my old readers back. _

_I hope you guys are still liking this story. _

_As always, please read and review, I live for feedback! _

...

They'd been settled in to Terminal City for a few months now, and things were running smoothly. They pulled a big heist every now and then to keep everyone in food and clothing, but for the most part, they managed to keep on the down-low.

Logan had done a decent job of keeping his nose out of her business, but Max had a feeling that wouldn't last very long.

They were on a weapons run one night - weapons they'd actually bought this time, from an overseas dealer - when things turned for the worse. Max had been feeling off lately, and even though Alec had tried to convince her to leave this mission to him and stay home to get some rest, she'd gone anyway, assuring him she would be fine. No bug had ever kept her down, and she wasn't about to start.

She, Alec, Mole, and a couple X7s went on the run, Mole being the driver. The world still wasn't aware of the transgenics living among them, but Mole wasn't content to just sit at home and let everyone else do all the hard work. He'd stay out of sight, but he had to do something.

Max and the other Xs went to meet the dealer, passing over the money and loading up the truck. It was all going great until a massive, bright light shone on them from trucks speeding in from side-road, and Max immediately dropped to a defensive stance, holding her fists up.

Alec and the others mimicked her motions, pulling out their guns and making a defensive circle.

The cars stopped, boxing them in, and a bunch of men came pouring out of the vehicles.

"And here I thought it would be more difficult to find you, 452," one of the men spoke. He was the only one not dressed in combat gear, instead bearing a cheap, back suit. "I mean, your reputation precedes you."

Max turned her nose up at the man, glaring at him. "Well, I can't say the same for you. Care to make some introductions?"

He pretended to consider it for a moment before shaking his head. "You can just call me White. Now, are you gonna come quietly, or are we gonna have some fun?"

Max smirked, sharing a look with Alec before tilting her head. "I'm a fun-loving girl. Let's see how that works out."

White nodded, and before he could signal to his men to fire, the transgenics broke out and blurred around, shooting at anything that moved.

Mole revved up the truck, charging at the tiny cars and SUVs in his way. White's men tried to shoot at him, but he was in an armored vehicle, and their bullets barely made a scratch. Max made her way through the crowd of men, knocking out as many as she could and tossing their guns aside.

White watched the scene unfolding, following her movements. She was good ... even without a weapon. But, that would be her downfall. He stayed out of the fray, simply watching and learning, until one of them made their way to him. He rolled his eyes, batting them away before pulling out his gun and emptying a few rounds into its gut, smirking as it fell to the ground.

"Archer!" Max cried, watching the X7 hit the ground as blood pooled around him. She clenched her jaw in anger, making her way over to the man who called himself White.

White smiled, waiting for her to blur around him and try to take him from behind. He'd watched her movements, and he was a quick study after all. He turned quickly, facing her surprised face, before squeezing the trigger once more. The bullet penetrated her abdomen, making her body jolt in shock.

He heard a roar from another transgenic, and before he could turn around he was being thrown in the air, smacking down on the roof of a car.

Alec hurriedly grabbed Max, looking down at the fallen X7. He motioned to the other X7 called Bungle to carry their fallen comrade back to the truck. Mole pulled the truck around to block the heavy fire of bullets coming at them. Once everyone was loaded into the back of the truck, Alec shut the door and felt the vehicle jerk into motion, speeding away from the bloodbath.

He looked down at the woman in his arms, feeling her tremble and shake. He pressed his hand against her wound, trying to slow the bleeding.

"Ah!" Max cried out unwillingly, the pain unbelievable. She'd been shot before, but this felt different. Worse.

"Come on, Max, you're gonna be fine. Mole is gunning it, we'll be back at TC in no time," he told her. "Just hold on, okay?"

Max tried to focus on the sound of his voice, but she could feel a part of herself slipping away.

"Dammit, Mole, step on it!" Alec shouted out, whipping his head around him desperately. They didn't have any tools with them for him to even begin to try patching her up, and even if they did, he'd probably end up doing more damage than good. "Bungle, call ahead, tell Doc to be ready for us," he ordered, and the X7 quickly pulled out his phone, complying with Alec's demands.

Alec pulled Max even closer, brushing hair off of her clammy forehead while his other hand maintained the pressure on her abdomen. "You'll be fine," he promised. "I won't let anything happen to you, Maxie."

She stared at his face, trying to form words, but it took all of her energy just to remain conscious. Finally, she couldn't hold on any longer.

"Max!" Alec hollered, shaking her body a little, but there was no response.

...

Max had been in the "operating room" for over an hour, and Alec tried to make himself believe that that was a good thing. If they'd been unable to save her, he supposed he wouldn't have had to wait so long to hear something.

He went over in his mind again and again, trying to figure out how it had happened. They had thought the contact had been solid, Logan had used him before when getting weapons for the S1W ... _Logan_. Alec gritted his teeth, thinking of all the ways he was gonna make the ordinary pay for what he'd done, even if it had been a mistake. He just needed to hit something.

Another half hour passed before the doors opened and Doc came out. Alec pounced forward, trying to peer into the room. "What happened? Is she okay?"

Doc nodded. "We managed to stop the bleeding and get her heart pumping again," she told Alec, rushing passed the shocked expression on his face at the knowledge that her heart had stopped beating at all. "She'll have to stay under for at least 24 hours while her body recuperates, and take it easy for at least a couple weeks, but after that, she should be fine."

Alec sighed in relief, moving to lean against the wall. "Can I see her?"

Doc worried her lip, looking back into the room.

Alec stood back up, his back straight and the little hairs on the back of his neck standing up. "What? What is it?"

Doc sighed, looking down. "There's something else we discovered while we were patching her up," she began, unsure of how to word it.

Alec felt his heart rate increase, worried for Max. "What is it?" he repeated.

"It seems that Max was ... she was about four and half months pregnant," Doc informed him.

Alec blinked several times, swallowing the lump in his throat. _Max was pregnant? We had a child ...?_ "Wait, what do you mean _was_?" he asked, dreading the answer.

Doc looked at him with sad eyes, telling him, "The wound was too severe, we weren't able to save the baby."

Alec felt a little spurt of pain shoot through his heart, thinking of the life that was lost. "Does ... did she know?"

Doc shook her head. "Honestly, I don't know. She hasn't been to see me about it, and I've heard about most of the pregnant transgenics, even the ones who haven't been to see me. It's possible she didn't know."

Alec nodded slowly, thinking over the conversation he'd had with Max before they'd left on the mission. She hadn't been feeling well, not for a while, but she had refused to stay home and get better. _If I'd known ..._ Alec lamented, internally, looking through the door to see them moving Max's gurney to a recovery room.

"When can I see her?" he asked again, blinking back the tears that were threatening to form in his eyes.

Doc watched him trying to keep his composure, feeling sorry for the X5. "I'll let you know when she's awake," she told him. "She needs all the rest she can get, so I'd prefer if you waited."

Alec nodded, knowing that he had some things to take care of before he saw her. "Call me the second she wakes up."

Doc nodded, watching him leave and wondering who he was going to take out his anger on.

...

Logan paced around his apartment, waiting to hear back from Max's team. They should have finished the run and made it back to Terminal City by now, and he was more than a little annoyed that no one had called him to let him know they'd returned. He longed for the old days when Max would come over to flaunt her success, and they would share a meal he'd cooked, and he'd pull out his good wine for her. He figured that once he gave her enough space, and she realized just how much she missed the good stuff, she'd come running back to him and they could forget all about the Manticore stuff and move together. Sure, he had Asha now, but she was more of a placeholder. S1W was small-fry compared to all that Eyes Only could do with Max's help.

He heard someone coming through the front door of his apartment and smiled, thinking Max had finally come to her senses. "So, you made it back alright?" he asked, hearing the creak of the walking divide around his legs. Logan was thoroughly surprised to see Alec standing before him, decked out in his combat-wear, instead of Max. "Oh, it's you," he spoke. "Where's Max?"

Alec gritted his teeth, glaring at the Ordinary. "Back at TC, in Intensive Care because of you."

Logan's eyes widened, thinking of Max getting hurt. "What? How did it happen?"

"You tell me," Alec continued, stalking closer to him. "Clearly your dealer wasn't as secure as you let us believe."

Logan shook his head. "No way, I've been using him for over a year."

Alec nodded. "Exactly. He must know who you are, and he sold us out to the highest bidder. Which just so happens to be someone who wants Max's head on a stick."

Logan opened his mouth to reply, but before he could get a sound out Alec clocked him across the jaw, sending him flying back. Logan cried out in pain, struggling to get up.

Alec was on him in a second, poised over him with his fist raised. "She was pregnant, you bastard." With no one around to hold him back, Alec vented his frustrations on the arrogant, pathetic Ordinary.

...

_End of chapter thirteen. _

_Well, what did you think? _

_Reviews are appreciated, flame if you must, but constructive criticism is much more useful. _

_Until next time ...! _


	14. Chapter 14

...

A Max/Alec fic.

Chapter Fourteen.

...

Disclaimer: See previous chapters ...

...

A/N: Well, I'm happy you guys are still enjoying this story. Only a few more chapters left to go before the big finale.

I just love this pairing, I wish that Dark Angel had gotten a third season. They could have resolved the Max/saviour thing, and expanded on the Alec romance, seeing as he was brought in to be a potential love-interest.

Oh well ... this is what fanfic is for.

I'll respond to reviews here:

**AlecDeanFan:** I'm happy you're still enjoying this story. Yes, that last chapter was a bit sad. It's all a lead-up to the final confrontation with White ... 'cause we all know that once Max reigns in that grief and channels it into angel, people are gonna get hurt ...

**recicup:** Lol, scary? Well, maybe a little. Honestly, I want to get these chapters up ASAP to make up for such a long absence. I hope you like this one, the next one should be up shortly.

Well, let's get on with it, shall we?

As always, please read and review, I live for feedback!

...

Alec hadn't killed Logan, but he'd wanted to. He made his way to Max's apartment, needing to tell Original Cindy what had happened to her friend. He was barely keeping it together, but pounding on the Ordinary had helped a little.

He walked in, calling out her name.

OC came out of her bedroom, glancing at Alec in the doorway. "You guys done already? Pretty slick, you guys are getting good," she complimented. "Where's my boo at?" she wondered, noticing that Max hadn't come in with him.

Alec looked down at the floor. "She's at TC ... in a recovery room."

Original Cindy blinked, feeling her heart speeding up. "What happened?"

Alec gritted his teeth. "Logan screwed up, his guy was paid off or something. Some guy named 'White' and a bunch of other dudes ambushed us, killed Archer, and shot Max."

OC gasped, putting a hand to her mouth.

Before she could ask, Alec told her, "She survived, but she ... Cindy, she was pregnant."

OC couldn't gather her thoughts, it was too much information to receive all at once. She couldn't work through the worry and fear for her friend's life, the relief at knowing she was alive, and then the sadness that she'd lost a baby she hadn't even known she'd had. She looked up at Alec, seeing the sadness and grief mirrored in his own eyes, and did the only thing she knew how to do. She walked over to him, pulling him into a comforting hug, knowing how he felt about her girl. They both needed a little comfort just then.

"Everything's gonna be okay," OC told him, working to believe the words as she said them. "Ain't nothing gonna keep my girl down."

Alec sagged into the embrace, bringing his hands up to grip the smaller girl's shoulders, wanting desperately to believe her.

...

Doc had called Alec ten minutes ago, and he now stood outside Max's room. She hadn't told Max about the pregnancy, leaving that responsibility to Alec. After a few steadying breaths he made his way into the room, seeing Max's eyes flicker to his.

"Hey," she greeted with a weak voice.

Alec stood beside her bed, fiddling with his hands quietly. He felt a pressure on one of his hands, and looked down to see Max holding it with her own.

"I'm okay," she told him.

Alec shook his head. "Max, there's something I have to tell you."

Max frowned, looking at the serious, sad expression on his face. "What is it?"

He didn't want to have to tell her, but he knew it should come from him. "Max, when he shot you, he didn't just hurt you," Alec began.

Max nodded. "I know, I saw Archer go down. I guess I shouldn't have charged in like that."

Alec shook his head again. "That's not what I meant, Max ... you were ... I didn't find out until after Doc saved your life, that you were pregnant. I'm so sorry, Max."

Max blinked, feeling her heart constrict as she looked down at her gown-covered, bandaged stomach. "How - when?"

Alec answered as best as he knew. "Doc said you were probably four and a half months ... so when we were at Manticore. It's the only time we didn't use protection."

Max's eyes widened, realizing that she'd been pregnant for so long without knowing. And now it was too late ... the baby was gone. She didn't know what to do. Her eyes drifted down to the hand she held, looking at the red welts and cuts on them. "What happened?" she asked, her voice numb.

Alec looked down to see what she was referring to, and remembered the beating he'd given Logan. "A little stress-relief," he answered, deciding to tell her the whole story later.

Max nodded, not needing a further explanation.

"If you need some time alone to process ... it's okay," Alec told her, even though he didn't want to leave her side. "I can come back in a bit."

Max shook her head, gripping her hand as tightly as she could. "No, I want you to stay."

Alec nodded, and after a moment he lifted up the blanket and slid next to her on the bed, careful of her wound. He wrapped his arms around her, feeling her drop her head against his chest, and a moment later the tears came. From both of them. Alec held her while she sobbed, feeling the wetness on his own cheeks, but he made himself remain strong for her, holding her and making soft, soothing noises until she finally passed out from exhaustion.

He stayed with her while she slept, wondering if they were going to be able to get past the loss of a child neither of them had known existed.

...

It took three weeks for Max to get her strength back completely, and to get past her grief well-enough to get involved in the search for the man named 'White' who'd taken what was hers. She channeled all of her anger and sorrow and frustration into finding the bastard, knowing that when she did, he would pay for what he'd done.

She continued to refuse to carry a gun, but had found other weapons that she could use. A sharp hunting knife rested at her hip, and across her back was a large and powerful Japanese sword called a _tachi._ One of Alec's buddies from Manticore had told him about them, and he'd gotten it for her, needing her to have some way to protect herself other than her fists and sarcasm. She admired the weapons, imagining the things she could do to the man responsible for her pain, and started training with them immediately. Every pull of her stomach as she moved only made her train harder. Every time she thought of what her baby would look like when he or she was born, she gritted her teeth and resumed her training.

Alec had told her what he'd done to Logan, and she couldn't find it in herself to feel sorry for him ... in a way, he too was responsible for what had happened. It was risky enough to use the same arms dealer twice, never mind consistently for a whole year. Everyone was on the take ... he should know that.

Alec and Max were still together, but things had been different between them. They still shared a bed, and worked effectively together, but they weren't as close as they'd been before. After what happened, Max couldn't bring herself to be intimate with him. She didn't want a repeat of what happened to her baby. But she didn't want to lose him either. She sat him down one day at her apartment, needing to explain herself.

"Alec, I don't want you to think that I don't ... I still have these feelings for you," she told him, unable to say that she loved him. It would only hurt more if she spoke those words aloud. "I just can't let myself ..."

Alec nodded, taking her hand. "I know, Max. I get it. And I'm not mad at you, so don't worry about that. Once this is all over - and some day it will be - I know we'll get back what we had. I can wait for you ... can you?"

Max listened to his words, surprised that he had just given her the speech she'd intended for him. After a long moment she met his eyes, nodding her head slowly. "I can."

Alec nodded in relief, feeling a little bit better. "We're gonna get this guy, Max. We won't stop until we do."

Max dipped her head, looking down at her hands. "I know."

He moved forward, wrapping his arms around her, embracing her carefully. When she didn't pull away he dropped his chin onto her shoulder, vowing that this wouldn't be goodbye.

...

_End of chapter fourteen. _

_So, what did you guys think? _

_Reviews are appreciated, flame if you must, but constructive criticism is much more useful. _

_Until next time ...! _


	15. Chapter 15

_..._

_A Max/Alec fic. _

_Chapter Fifteen. _

_..._

_Disclaimer: See previous chapters ..._

_..._

_A/N: Well, here's the next chapter. I'm happy you guys are still enjoying this story! _

_I'll respond to some reviews here: _

_**recicup:**__ Yep, Max has a bit of anger management of her own to do, I think. Something's gotta help her work through her issues. _

_**Alec-Lover494:**__ Thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying the story. _

_**452max:**__ Yep, I'm trying to get these chapters up quickly for you guys, I'm happy you're liking it. _

_**Hall:**__ Lol, I'm working on it! _

_**AlecDeanFan:**__ Wow ... well, it is definitely true that Max is being selfish, and not really giving Alec a chance to grieve. We'll have to see what happens, and if she clues in that Alec has feelings too._

_Alright, let's get on with the next chapter, shall we? _

_I hope you guys like this, I know I'll love writing it. _

_As always, please read and review, I live for feedback! _

...

It was almost two months before they got a solid lead on White. Thing was, they were fairly certain he'd laid out the breadcrumbs himself, hoping Max would take the bait. It didn't matter. They knew where he was gonna be, that was enough for Max, even Alec. But they didn't want to put anyone else's life at risk.

Max suggested going in alone, hoping to have the element of surprise, but Alec wouldn't have any of that. He told her she wasn't going in there by herself, practically handcuffing her to him.

So, they left it to everyone to decide if they wanted to come on the attack. Many of the X7s came, wanting to avenge Archer's death. Mole and his crew signed up, itching to get out and do some damage. Several of Alec's unit mates from Manticore joined up, Biggs being the first one. Syl and Krit stood by Max's side, ready to back her play. There were over 50 of them in total. Max's emotions swelled at the number of transgenics willing to lay their lives on the line for her, but told herself she would do everything in her power to keep each and ever one of them alive.

She didn't hold anything against the ones remaining at Terminal City. In fact she gave them standing orders for what to do if the worst should happen, naming a temporary CO and SIC, just in case something happened to her and Alec. Joshua wanted to come, but she'd named him SIC, mainly because she didn't want anything to happen to him, and because most everyone in TC knew and respected him.

After three days of solid training as a mass unit, the day of the attack had finally come, and they made their way out of Terminal City. Orgininal Cindy and Sketchy came to see her off, wishing her luck. OC made her promise to come back in one piece, threatening to kick her fine ass if she didn't. Max could see Logan behind them, clearly wanting to say something to her, but she brushed him off, making her way to her bike that was parked beside Alec's. Several transgenics had discovered the wonderful beauty of motorcycles, and a few of them were using them today, but they also brought a few big trucks in case it went bad and they had to bail right away - just load everyone up and go.

They made their way to sector 7, pulling up to an abandoned warehouse. Max, Alec, Syl, Krit and Biggs got off their bikes, taking in the building and examining all the entrances and exits.

Clicking her earpiece, Max told Mole to park the trucks behind the sheds they'd passed on the way in, giving everyone orders to make a stealth approach after they entered the building.

Max knocked her fist with Syl and accepted a reassuring shoulder-squeeze from Alec as they made their way into the building, Krit and Biggs flanking them. They moved slowly, giving the others time to park the trucks and get into position. With their genetically empowered hearing, they could hear soft voices coming from the floor above them. A staircase at the back wall lead to the next floor, but Max could just imagine the bottleneck that would create, leaving her and her team lambs to the slaughter.

She motioned for them to follow her out an open window on their level, catching sight of a fire escape outside of the view of the second-floor windows. They climbed up the ladder to the third floor, judging the distance from the fire escape to the nearest window. Max jumped, catching the ledge with her fingertips and quickly pulled herself up, easing the window open and sliding inside.

The others followed her lead, the jump easier for them as the window was already open. Once inside they stepped lightly, not wanting to give away their position. Mole's voice in her ear told her that they were getting themselves into position, telling her sixty seconds before they were ready to attack. Max whispered her agreement into the earpiece, gripping the hunting knife on her thigh.

She made her way to the staircase, crouching low to peer down onto the level below them. There were about a dozen men that she could see, some of them standing in a circle and chanting over some weird symbol. _Great ... frickin' cult,_ Max thought. Her eyes drifted to the other side of the room where the first staircase had been, and she quickly discovered that she'd been right. There were two men standing on either side of the opening, guns poised to shoot anyone who came up.

Max signaled to Syl and Krit to take them out first, so that the others could come up without getting slaughtered.

They'd been right to assume it was a trap, but it appeared that they still had the stealth approach. No one seemed to be aware that they were above them, not below.

Her internal clock told her it was about time for the coordinated attack, and she held up her fingers for the others to see, waiting for them to move around the opening. Counting down _three, two one_ ... they jumped down the staircase, one after the other, swiftly moving into the room.

The men were clearly surprised to see them coming from above, turning to late. Syl and Krit easily dispatched the men by the opposite staircase, throwing their guns out of their hands and initiating a hand-to-hand fight. Max blurred around the room, hearing Mole and the others come up from the stairs and crash through the windows, attacking everyone that looked like a threat.

Max saw White standing back from the crowd, watching the scene unfold before him. She could see that he was trying to look nonchalant, but it was clear that he hadn't expected so many of them to be there.

The room was getting too crowded, too many flying fists and flailing bodies. She wanted to take her time with White, wanted the time and space to do with him what she wanted.

He saw her staring him down from across the room, smirking as he pulled out his gun once more. Max was ready for him this time, and before he knew what was happening, another transgenic had knocked the gun out of his hand, allowing her the opportunity to charge him, knocking him out the window behind him and crashing from the second story.

When they hit the ground Max came out swinging, cracking her fists, elbows and even her own head against White's, working to knock him unconscious. Max gripped the knife she'd dropped on the way out of the window, raising it above her to drive it into his chest. At the last second he grabbed her arms and diverted the strike, winding up with the knife in his side.

Max expected him to groan out in pain or try to shove her off, but he had almost no reaction. He smirked up at her, kicking her off of him before standing up and pulling the knife out of his side.

"What the hell are you?" she asked, backing away to regain herself.

White smiled, toying with the blade in his hands. "Better than you."

Max rolled her eyes. "We'll see about that." She removed the _tachi_ from the sheath at her back, pulling the glistening blade in front of her and taking an offensive stance. "Round two, White. I owe you a _world_ of pain."

...

Alec made his way through the crowd, seeing his fellow transgenics plowing through the enemies in the warehouse, lending a hand where he was needed. There were a lot of people in the run-down building, making it near-impossible to move about without coming into contact with someone. Mole and Biggs were cutting their way through the mob, breaking trail for the others.

He lost sight of Max for a second, and the next second he heard a shattering window slice through the noise around him. His head whipped around to see Max taking White through the window and down to the ground.

He cursed out loud, shoving his way through the soldiers - both friendlies and enemies - making his way to the window. He saw Max attempt to stab him in the heart, but he pulled it away and took the hit in the side. For a second, Alec let himself believe that the fight would soon be over; that Max had wounded him enough to finish him off.

But White took the hit like it didn't even effect him, pushing her away and standing up.

Alec watched as they exchanged words, and Max pulled her new sword out of its holding, preparing to attack him. He watched as the two began circling each other, wondering why it had to be her ... why she had to go at it by herself, why she couldn't let him in. He could help her ... he could be there for her.

He just wished he could get that through to her.

Alec gripped the edge of the broken window, preparing to jump down the distance to Max's side, but he was grabbed from behind, thrown back into the fray.

...

_End of chapter fifteen. _

_Well, what did you guys think? _

_Reviews are appreciated, flame if you must, but constructive criticism is much more useful. _

_Until next time ...! _


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